Norah Niesz posted a team-high 16 points, and Stevie Bannon added 14 off the bench, as a strong first half propelled the St. Lawrence University women's basketball team to a 71-58 win over Clarkson on Tuesday night. The victory propelled the Saints to a season series victory over their regional foes.

With the win, St. Lawrence now holds an 11-6 overall record, with a 6-4 mark in Liberty League play heading into a big weekend back-to-back against Vassar and Bard.

St. Lawrence posted the first five points of the game, then opened up an 11-point lead quickly off back-to-back threes from Margaret Dougher and Jackie Malley around the four-minute mark, and the Saints were up 16-5. They held a 20-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second was the most dominant period of the game for the Scarlet and Brown, where they outscored the Golden Knights 21-8 and greatly expanded their lead. The quarter began with a 5-0 run fueled by a Niesz jumper, then St. Lawrence followed it up with a monster 12-0 run minutes later. Niesz notched five straight points via a three-ball and jumper, then Alexis Mackenzie followed that up with five points of her own, and the Saints led 41-20 at halftime.

Clarkson would control the third quarter and slimmed the gap down to 15, and the teams played an even fourth offensively. Bella Doyle's early fourth-quarter layup drew the Golden Knights even closer early in the third, but the Saints responded with two clutch Malley foul shots, a Bannon layup, and a big Niesz three-ball to build the lead back up and seal the win.

St. Lawrence defended the lead well late in the game and came away with a 14-point win.

Elsewhere on the stat line, Mason Baker-Schlendering led the way on the glass with a team-high eight rebounds, and Izzy Caron dished out a career-high five assists. Bannon and Niesz each added two steals to their strong offensive performances. Malley went 3-3 from the arc, and Niesz went 2-2 – as a team, St. Lawrence used the longball well, shooting 7-15 from three-point range.

The Saints first host Vassar on Friday, January 30, before Bard comes to town on Saturday, January 31 in the penultimate Saints women's basketball homestand of 2025-26.